The Uncanny Danny
by Shaed Knightwing
Summary: A simple question, what does the student body of Casper High think of Danny Fenton? The answer is… not quite as simple.


Apparently I'm not as dead here as I thought.

This was just a brain vomit that started out as a vague headcanon and then somehow mutated into a story, so if it seems a little weirdly written it's because it wasn't meant to be a fic in the first place, but it's generated quite a lot of attention on Tumblr in a very short amount of time (aka over 200 notes in under two days) so I thought I may as well throw it up here too.

The title is a play on 'the uncanny valley', if you don't know what that means Google it because I do a very poor job of explaining it (but it is a really interesting thing I would generally recommend looking it up)

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If you were to ask any student from Casper High what they thought about Danny Fenton most of their first reactions would be something about his weird ghost hunting parents, others would remember him as that kid who led them against a gang of ghosts who stole their parents that one time, another few might recall doing a project with him for class or sitting next to him once, one enthusiastic student remembers him showing up in her favourite magazine in an article about a purple-backed gorilla

Those who share classes with him all know he has the weakest bladder of any human being they know, one concerned person suggests he might have an infection and should see a doctor

One student thinks he's pretty smart while another thinks he's a complete dumbass, a few think he just has his head in the clouds when some think he's a junky running off for another fix

There are a few who think he might be in some kind of gang, he always seems to be getting beaten up, some students think it's just from Dash, Dash's friends know it's from someone else, a small minority think he might be getting abused at home, but not many people really believe that

Those who have spoken with him agree that Danny Fenton is a good guy, he's never done anything to warrant any dislike from anybody and even the guys who used to pick on him in junior year agree that he's a fairly cool dude, but when asked if they _like_ him, some will hesitantly say yes, others will blatantly say no, most will cough awkwardly and change the subject, because despite all the differing opinions there is one thing the entire student body - and even staff - of Casper High agree on

There is something _off_ about that kid

But you won't hear this from them, none of them will bring it up, not because they're scared or uninterested or trying to keep it secret, no. It's simply because they can't explain what exactly it is about him that seems so… _unnatural_

If they tried to speak with a friend about it they would realise they lacked the words to describe what it is that's so odd about Danny Fenton, perhaps though, it's because it isn't just a single thing

If someone were to pay him extremely close attention they might pick up on a few of these things, such as the fact that he never seems to make any noise… there's no warning of footsteps when he walks up behind you, no rustle of clothes, and if one was to be trapped with him in a small, quiet space they would certainly note the absence of sound accompanying his breathing

Another strange thing that perhaps only three or four people out of the whole of Casper High have noticed is the way he moves, a turn of the head or a flick of the wrist can happen in the blink of an eye, like an animation with a few frames missing, it's something most will brush off as a trick of the light or an oddly timed blink, but when they do catch it it gives them a distinct uncomfortable feeling. Accompanying this oddity is the fact that sometimes it seems like he isn't moving at all, the occasional student will look him over while in he sits perfectly still in class, subconsciously checking to see if he's even breathing

If anyone were to bring up the sense of weightlessness in Danny Fenton's walk people would scoff and wonder what on earth they're talking about while secretly, mentally thanking them for finding an apt phrase to describe that strange way he almost seems to float on each step, how his hair never seems to stand perfectly still despite there being no breeze, how sometimes you feel you could just prod him in the side and he'd simply float off the ground for a few moments as if someone hadn't quite explained to his body how gravity works, one student from the swim club might be eerily reminded of watching her friends floating weightlessly underwater and would later base her art class project around mermaids with inky black hair

Another student who visited the zoo last week might say that Danny Fenton reminds him of a tiger, he can't say why exactly but he'd vaguely murmur that it has something to do with the way he walks, the way he holds himself, a tiger's walk is regal, majestic, powerful, something that demands respect and with the flick of a tail could become the last thing you ever see… the student would then correct himself, it's just Fenton, nothing powerful about him, he'd say, but in his mind he can't shake the image of that tiger staring him down and he represses a shudder

Something that anyone who has held a conversation with Danny Fenton can tell you is that he will always look you in the eye when he speaks with you, sometimes he looks to his hands when gesturing and sometimes he might look away for a few slight moments but his eyes will always flicker back and make contact with yours. It's something that, despite being a polite thing to do, most people wish he didn't and find that when held in his gaze it's hard to look away, they find the intensity of his stare almost invasive and somewhat unnerving, and even the most unobservant students who couldn't tell you their best friend's hair colour could say with 100% certainty that Danny Fenton's eyes are a remarkable shade of blue (although some students swear sometimes they look green in a certain light)

Any of the guys in Danny's gym class will tell you that on the rare times he actually shows up for gym he never gets changed in the locker room with everyone else, nobody will tell you why, most of them don't know. One student could tell you about the time he was late to gym and walked in on Danny Fenton changing in the empty locker room, this student could tell you about the large, pale scars littering Fenton's skin, but he won't. In elementary school this student had had an embarrassing birth mark on his stomach revealed to everyone, although it no longer embarrasses him he remembers how it felt, and for Fenton's sake he pretends he never saw anything

What this student couldn't tell you is how Danny Fenton knew he had been there in the locker room, as Fenton had never turned around when he'd walked in on him, but nevertheless whenever they pass in the hall, he'll be flashed with an appreciative smile.

You can never slip anything past Danny Fenton. Every April Fools Day a number of student's lockers are booby-trapped, but his has been off limits since the last person to do it had been swiftly rewarded with an incredibly embarrassing prank in return, and Fenton had made sure everyone KNEW who was responsible. There are a number of rules the teachers hand out for Casper High's April Fools pranks, but only one made by the entire student body

Never start a prank war with Danny Fenton

If one is unsatisfied by the answers of the Casper High student body, perhaps one can question the close friends of Danny himself. If they were asked, they would tell you that there's nothing strange about Danny Fenton, if pressed they may list a number of mundane things, he always wears odd socks and salt makes him break out in a small rash, he doesn't own a single working umbrella and likes really weird milkshake flavours, this is about all they will be willing to share before telling you to mind your own business, but if you are observant you might notice the lack of eye contact they hold with you until the subject is dropped

In the end, you might decide that simply speaking with Danny Fenton himself may relieve your curiosity, if you were to speak with him you would find him polite, good natured, he may even crack a joke, but perhaps after a little while his bright blue gaze may start to unsettle you, the quiet and quick movements of his arms start to unnerve you, the soft and slow movements of his hair seems calming until you realise there's no breeze in the room, and every time he bounces on his toes you're almost afraid he'll propel himself from the floor and float up to the ceiling

You'll finish your discussion without asking Danny Fenton any of the questions you had boiling in your mind, because after facing this kind, mild mannered boy some primitive instinct that lay dormant inside you is waking up to tell you that there's something dangerous lurking behind those bright unnatural blue eyes…


End file.
